On the surface, nothing seems amiss…other than it’s the cleanest 1977 Chevrolet Blazer to exist on planet Earth since about the time Brian was a toddler and my dad was getting some surprising news from my mother. Looks like nothing other than a beauty of a restored Blazer, right? All the way down to the hubcaps, perfect. Solid axles underneath, mint condition removable cap, The absolutely decked out interior with the faked woodgrain…it’s perfect. And that’s the entire goal that Chevrolet had when putting the Blazer-E together. Nothing seems amiss until you turn the key and instead of hearing an asthmatic 400ci V8, you hear nothing. When you put your foot down, you don’t hear a Quadrajet moaning away like the ghost of Jacob Marley. All you hear is tire on road and the wind getting bashed in by square-body aerodynamics.
We’ve seen this before from Chevrolet. Last year it was the E-10, the tricked-out 1962 C10 pickup truck. The year prior, it was the E-COPO Camaro. The goal is for GM to lead the way in electric powertrain crate motor packages, solidifying an offering ranging from the Bolt EV’s drive unit (which the Blazer-E has, offering 200 horsepower and 266 ft/lbs of torque) all the way through whatever LSX riot-in-a-box your heart desires. Going back to the Blazer-E, outside of the electric power steering, the electric pump that is providing vacuum for the brakes, and the controller to drive inputs to the Blazer’s gauges…including the “fuel” gauge that now demonstrates battery power, it’s all 1977. Okay, there’s now a four-speed automatic, that came later on in the run. But you know what we mean.
GM is currently training up shops to be Electric Cruise and Connect installers and the first to pilot the training will be Lingenfelter Performance Engineering out of Brighton, Michigan. Lingenfelter? Um…yeah. The people who know how to make a GM product dance. They will be driving the EV swing forward. We can’t wait for an electrified Monza to hit the circuit. 
The technology of it all is cool but I can’t get on board with electric vehicles. Its entertaining that they are pushed as alternatives to fossil fuels because most of the unwashed masses tend to forget that electricity is mainly produced from fossil fuels, aka: coal. Nuclear fits in there as well but many people who are against fossil fuels are also against nuclear power as well. I know that the fossil fuel stores have a shelf life but if they think the whole world is going to wait around to hook their cars up to windmills then they are highly mistaken. Wind energy has many pitfalls, not the least of which is the destruction of birds and unobstructed scenic views for those living close. (Watch videos online of people’s homes and the shadows of ever turning blades inside their home.) There are also huge maintenance costs and the fact that if the government wasn’t providing big subsidies for wind energy most of the rich people investing in it would be putting their money elsewhere. We are far better off continuing to invest most of our energy into the wise use and stewardship of fossil fuels.
While I think the concept is cool and who ever built the Blazer it is a great builder, I’ll never get past the “you don’t get something for nothing”. That’s what EV builders of cars and truck don’t want you to know, the environmental impact that these vehicles have is way worse than any IC engine will ever be. True there is nothing from a tailpipe, but smelting copper, bad. Lithium batteries, way bad for ground water, people and animals. Plus the concentrated fumes from the Lithium itself is very toxic and deadly when airborne. So as long as the mining of these materials is done somewhere else where “we” don’t live then we’re ok.
This is the most backward thinking there is.
You’re wrong, so very wrong. That’s probably why you didn’t post substantiating links. If you’re willing to entertain the notions of science and fact, here’s a few links that debunk what you’ve written.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesellsmoor/2019/05/20/are-electric-vehicles-really-better-for-the-environment/?sh=616023ec76d2
https://youtu.be/G67i_Z8ukD4
https://climobil.connecting-project.lu/
So I’ll provide you with the substantive read: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/lithium-batteries-environment-impact
https://www.salon.com/2019/06/17/lithium-mining-for-green-electric-cars-is-leaving-a-stain-on-the-planet/
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/peril-and-promise/2019/06/electric-cars-mining-lithium/
Once they are able to recycle cleanly, this might change, but the demand will always be there.
What you ignored: the benefits of an all electric infrastructure hugely exceed the downside.
You wrote “That’s what EV builders of cars and truck don’t want you to know, the environmental impact that these vehicles have is way worse than any IC engine will ever be.”
Not at all true, and the links you provided don’t substantiate that. Our biggest concern today is CO2 emissions. We are developing better and cheaper batteries that use far fewer rare earth metals, each day brings us closer to the goal of both zero emissions and mining with little environmental impact.
Let me remind you: the early days of the automobile, we sourced oil from WHALES. Imagine that!
https://www.britannica.com/technology/whale-oil
Any new technology has a teething stage, but EV’s are already demonstrably better than ICE for efficiency – and all the other issues are being solved even as you read this.
So yeah, you’re only sort-of correct but mostly wrong.
way less torque than your average big block, and that is what makes this vehicles useful. So this is supposed to have a 100 mile range yet VW can only get 65 mile real world range from a golf?
What you ignored: the benefits of an all electric infrastructure hugely exceed the downside.
You wrote “That’s what EV builders of cars and truck don’t want you to know, the environmental impact that these vehicles have is way worse than any IC engine will ever be.”
Not at all true, and the links you provided don’t substantiate that. Our biggest concern today is CO2 emissions. We are developing better and cheaper batteries that use far fewer rare earth metals, each day brings us closer to the goal of both zero emissions and mining with little environmental impact.
Let me remind you: the early days of the automobile, we sourced oil from WHALES. Imagine that!
https://www.britannica.com/technology/whale-oil
Any new technology has a teething stage, but EV’s are already demonstrably better than ICE for efficiency – and all the other issues are being solved even as you read this.
So yeah, you’re only sort-of correct but mostly wrong.
No one has made an electric vehicle that I can drive a minimum 250 mile round trip in sub zero weather. In fact no one ever talks about the elephant in the room i.e. the ridiculously reduced range when you need to keep the cabin warm. A/C is a massive drain too. I need to check on my dad in all kinds of weather. The last thing I need to worry about is can I make the trip safely. Got enough headaches without that crap.
But but you can recharge. Yeah…show me where those “superchargers” are in the woods of the Upper Peninsula.
Another thing EV’s can’t do is tow. So far no one has a truck that can do what my F350 does. No one.
Last point: If it’s ever made I’m not paying a hundred grand for an EV truck with the capabilities I need.